Tag: San Diego Restaurants

No matter if you’ve lived in the San Diego area for a while or if you are just popping into town for a visit with the family, you may not be familiar with all of these kid friendly establishments. If you are looking to appease the kids and try something fun yourself, give any of these a whirl:

Donut Bar: this place is downtown and is donuts on steroids. Not necessarily a fun filled adult establishment, but if you want sheer joy from your kids, this place is it. There is a bit of a line, so grab a coffee and prepare to wait a bit.

Hash House: this place is in Hillcrest (close to downtown) and takes care of everybody…BLT Bloody Mary’s + Hot Chocolates as big as your face. The food is great and the plates are as big as anything I’ve ever seen…the Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken is a must. There is a wait for this one too, so prepare yourself for hanging out for 45 minutes or so.

Corvette Diner: this one is close to downtown and is excitement for the kids all the way…straws in the hair, dancing servers, video games, but a decent bar makes it not too painful on the adults.

Draft Republic: there are 2 of these…one in La Jolla and one in Carlsbad. It is great for kids and adults with a full bar and more adult type food. It has lots of video games, ping pong, pool, etc and will keep the kids entertained for hours while you watch sports on any of the multitude of TV screens.

Urge Gastropub: there are 3 of these: one is in San Marcos, another in Oceanside and another in Rancho Bernardo. I’m speaking more to the one in San Marcos as this is the one I’ve frequented the most, but it is extremely adult friendly with more adult type food, like Draft Republic. It has bowling, outdoor games, and is a huge place.

These are the ones we find our kids enjoy the most, but if you know of something I missed, hit me up.

I get a lot of questions about what are some of my favorite spots to eat, grab a drink, or grab a coffee in North County. Well here’s a good starter list along with links to some of my reviews (T-Money M) on Yelp:

Encinitas Ale House: Another place that isn’t easy to see, but killer burgers and fantastic beer on tap plus a nice inviting bar to curl up next to

The Land & Water Company: Pork Belly, Sushi, amazing drinks…somehow it all works. Don’t sit at a table, though, gotta sit at the bar and ask for whatever they’re firing up

ARA Lebanese Grill: Another tiny place that is really unassuming, but amazing meats and veggies…the kids even love this place!

Wrench & Rodent: 2 guys that look like me behind the sushi bar, punk rock music playing overhead, and skateboards on the wall. All that, and some of the best sushi I’ve ever had…a definite “Sit at the Bar” place.